Covid-19 has been especially harsh for the visually impaired.
One problem is physical distancing, as they cannot see the markings on the floor, or judge how far they are from those in front of them.
George Thomas, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), also said access to information about the coronavirus, vaccines, standard operating procedures, and test kits for visually impaired people, was poor.
“The media and information available have not been accessible to the visually-impaired community, as most were in the form of infographics,” said Thomas.
“On the plus side, there have been some improvements in this area, but those in charge need reminding to keep information accessible for the visually impaired.”
He said the MySejahtera mobile application needs updating to follow the specifications outlined by the Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) that covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible.
Thomas also revealed that Covid-19 had impacted the earnings of the visually impaired.
“It has been difficult, especially for those earning a daily wage, or on contract, and are part-timers,” he said.
“Those affected included masseurs, buskers, petty traders, domestic helpers, and those in housekeeping, who have had no income for over 300 days, for more than 19 months.
“During this time, MAB distributed 9,000 food baskets in Peninsular Malaysia and 40,000 hot meal packs for residents in Brickfields.
“We have also helped them lobby for financial assistance and other subsidies from government agencies.”
Thomas said MAB organised workshops and other programmes to teach them new skills.
“Among our programmes were short-term digital marketing courses, call centre training, short-term ICT courses, counselling, and entrepreneurship initiatives through the Social Security Organisation (Socso), Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC) and others,” added Thomas.
Meanwhile, Thomas and MAB accessibility and advocacy executive Siti Huraizah Ruslan lauded Atlas Vending for rolling out its pilot programme of vending machines specially equipped with additional assistive features to enable accessibility for the visually impaired.
This first of its kind rollout in Malaysia features vending machines certified by the Malaysia Book of Records as the first Braille-enabled vending machines in Malaysia.
The machines have Braille plates, indicator lights, and motion-sensor triggered audio instructions. There are also audio-guided instructions with cash and cashless payment options.
As part of the collaboration, Atlas made a RM10,000 donation to the MAB Covid-19 Campaign Fund to help the blind community, especially those who had lost their income due to the pandemic.
“I wish other companies produced products that are easily accessible, not just for the visually impaired, but also for children, the elderly, pregnant women and others,” said Siti Huraizah.
“The issue is gaining traction among politicians, ministries and the community. I hope to see more of such machines from other companies soon.”
